Roclincourt
Encyclopedia
Roclincourt is a communes
in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France
.
, and 13 km (8.1 mi) south of Lens
, and approximately 110 km (68.4 mi) from Calais
.
Roclincourt found itself uncomfortably close to most of the fighting during World War I
, with tragic consequences for the village. During the opening years of the war, the nearby trenches
were manned by French troops of the 10th Army. In February 1916, the 10th army was sent to reinforce Verdun
, which had been under heavy attack by the Germans. In its place in the Roclincourt sector, British
troops of 5th Division, 95th Brigade were sent in, namely the 1st Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment, who rotated every three days with the 1st Battalion of the East Surrey Regiment
. The British troops were surprised and not pleased to find the trenches along this sector to be in a very poor condition. The parapets were in a very poor state and there were insufficient firing platforms. It took these two battalions some time to get the trenches back up to a good standard. On the plus side, the area had become relatively quiet, although there was a campaign of mining and counter-mining. To this day, craters
can still be found along the line of the front in this area. The line suffered from occasional bombardments from the German lines. Both the Devonshires and the East Surreys suffered casualties due to these bombardments and members of both regiments can be found in the cemeteries around Roclincourt and Arras.
During World War I the village was very close to the front and by the end of the conflict it had been completely destroyed. The village was then rebuilt.
Close to the village is a provincial airport which is called Roclincourt and has the Airport ICAO code
LFQD, were there is one runway that is 1,025m in length and 60m wide. The airfield is also home to a flying club called the Wings of Artois Association (website linked below). The village has excellent road links, being close to a junction on the A26 autoroute
which gives it good access to the whole of the European motorway networks.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Geography
Roclincourt is situated 4 km (2.5 mi) north of the town of ArrasArras
Arras is the capital of the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. The historic centre of the Artois region, its local speech is characterized as a Picard dialect...
, and 13 km (8.1 mi) south of Lens
Lens, Pas-de-Calais
Lens is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. It is one of France's large Picarde cities along with Lille, Valenciennes, Amiens, Roubaix, Tourcoing, Arras, and Douai.-Metropolitan area:...
, and approximately 110 km (68.4 mi) from Calais
Calais
Calais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....
.
List of successive mayors
| Name | Dates |
|---|---|
| Michel Godart | 1995–2008 |
| Michel Duez | 1989–1995 |
| Serge Chiroux | 1977–1989 |
| Paul Legland | 1959–1967 |
| Francois Charon | 1953–1959 |
World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, with tragic consequences for the village. During the opening years of the war, the nearby trenches
Trench warfare
Trench warfare is a form of occupied fighting lines, consisting largely of trenches, in which troops are largely immune to the enemy's small arms fire and are substantially sheltered from artillery...
were manned by French troops of the 10th Army. In February 1916, the 10th army was sent to reinforce Verdun
Verdun
Verdun is a city in the Meuse department in Lorraine in north-eastern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital of the department is the slightly smaller city of Bar-le-Duc.- History :...
, which had been under heavy attack by the Germans. In its place in the Roclincourt sector, British
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
troops of 5th Division, 95th Brigade were sent in, namely the 1st Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment, who rotated every three days with the 1st Battalion of the East Surrey Regiment
East Surrey Regiment
The East Surrey Regiment was a regiment in the British Army formed in 1881 from the amalgamation of the 31st Regiment of Foot and the 70th Regiment of Foot...
. The British troops were surprised and not pleased to find the trenches along this sector to be in a very poor condition. The parapets were in a very poor state and there were insufficient firing platforms. It took these two battalions some time to get the trenches back up to a good standard. On the plus side, the area had become relatively quiet, although there was a campaign of mining and counter-mining. To this day, craters
Impact crater
In the broadest sense, the term impact crater can be applied to any depression, natural or manmade, resulting from the high velocity impact of a projectile with a larger body...
can still be found along the line of the front in this area. The line suffered from occasional bombardments from the German lines. Both the Devonshires and the East Surreys suffered casualties due to these bombardments and members of both regiments can be found in the cemeteries around Roclincourt and Arras.
During World War I the village was very close to the front and by the end of the conflict it had been completely destroyed. The village was then rebuilt.
Transportation
- Roads: 1 km (0.621372736649807 mi) east of N17, 3.9 km (2.4 mi) from Autoroute A26A26 autorouteThe A26 is a long French motorway connecting Calais and Troyes. It is also known as the Autoroute des Anglais as it is the main route from the Dover-Calais ferries and the Channel Tunnel to most parts of France and often contains large numbers of British cars, particularly during the summer...
- Rail: LGV NordLGV NordThe LGV Nord is a French 333-kilometre long high speed rail line, opened in 1993, that connects Paris to the Belgian border and the Channel Tunnel via Lille....
from Arras - Bus: Local service
- Air: provincial Airport of Roclincourt
Close to the village is a provincial airport which is called Roclincourt and has the Airport ICAO code
ICAO code
The International Civil Aviation Organization defines several important codes for use in international aviation:* International Civil Aviation Organization airport codes or location indicators : 4-letter codes like LSZH for Zürich or HECA for Cairo* Airline codes or ICAO airline designators The...
LFQD, were there is one runway that is 1,025m in length and 60m wide. The airfield is also home to a flying club called the Wings of Artois Association (website linked below). The village has excellent road links, being close to a junction on the A26 autoroute
A26 autoroute
The A26 is a long French motorway connecting Calais and Troyes. It is also known as the Autoroute des Anglais as it is the main route from the Dover-Calais ferries and the Channel Tunnel to most parts of France and often contains large numbers of British cars, particularly during the summer...
which gives it good access to the whole of the European motorway networks.
External links
- Roclicourt Battlefields
- Finding Private Adams The story of one of the soldiers who lies in Roclincourt Military Cemetery